Monday 10 October 1664

Up and, it being rainy, in Sir W. Pen’s coach to St. James’s, and there did our usual business with the Duke, and more and more preparations every day appear against the Dutch, and (which I must confess do a little move my envy) Sir W. Pen do grow every day more and more regarded by the Duke,1 because of his service heretofore in the Dutch warr which I am confident is by some strong obligations he hath laid upon Mr. Coventry; for Mr. Coventry must needs know that he is a man of very mean parts, but only a bred seaman.

Going home in coach with Sir W. Batten he told me how Sir J. Minnes by the means of Sir R. Ford was the last night brought to his house and did discover the reason of his so long discontent with him, and now they are friends again, which I am sorry for, but he told it me so plainly that I see there is no thorough understanding between them, nor love, and so I hope there will be no great combination in any thing, nor do I see Sir J. Minnes very fond as he used to be. But: Sir W. Batten do raffle still against Mr. Turner and his wife, telling me he is a false fellow, and his wife a false woman, and has rotten teeth and false, set in with wire, and as I know they are so, so I am glad he finds it so.

To the Coffee-house, and thence to the ‘Change, and therewith Sir W. Warren to the Coffee-house behind the ‘Change, and sat alone with him till 4 o’clock talking of his businesses first and then of business in general, and discourse how I might get money and how to carry myself to advantage to contract no envy and yet make the world see my pains; which was with great content to me, and a good friend and helpe I am like to find him, for which God be thanked!

So home to dinner at 4 o’clock, and then to the office, and there late, and so home to supper and to bed, having sat up till past twelve at night to look over the account of the collections for the Fishery, and the loose and base manner that monies so collected are disposed of in, would make a man never part with a penny in that manner, and, above all, the inconvenience of having a great man, though never so seeming pious as my Lord Pembroke is. He is too great to be called to an account, and is abused by his servants, and yet obliged to defend them for his owne sake. This day, by the blessing of God, my wife and I have been married nine years: but my head being full of business, I did not think of it to keep it in any extraordinary manner. But bless God for our long lives and loves and health together, which the same God long continue, I wish, from my very heart!

“The duke had decided that the English fleet should consist of three squadrons to be commanded by himself, Prince Rupert, and Lord Sandwich, from which arrangement the two last, who were land admirals; had concluded that Penn would have no concern in this fleet. Neither the duke, Rupert, nor Sandwich had ever been engaged in an encounter of fleets … Penn alone of the four was familiar with all these things. By the duke’s unexpected announcement that he should take Penn with him into his own ship, Rupert and Sandwich at once discovered that they would be really and practically under Penn’s command in everything.” ↩

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"Rupert and Sandwich at once discovered that they would be really and practically under Penn's command in everything"

I do not see how this note can possibly be true at this particular time, and the author is jumping the gun to July of 1665. Here Penn is named as captain of the Duke's 1st rate flagship in the red squadron, as will be Kempthorn in Rupert's white squadron and Cuttance in the blue squadron of Sandwich. Rupert and Sandwich are at this point Chief Flag Officers

"...telling me he is a false fellow, and his wife a false woman, and has rotten teeth and false, set in with wire,..." So, a person with dentures cannot be trusted. How about false hair, Sam? This really is a most extraordinary and petty statement. Most sneering.And he sits for hours in the 17thc equivalent of *$s, getting high on caffeine, is late for dinner (Bess must have been at her most forebearing - and he doesn't comment on the dinner being dried up or anything) and then spends the evening (coming down off the caffeine) till very late going over the accounts for the Royal Fisheries - with a view to getting this magical money? Who knows.I thought the Wheatley footnote was strange too and I am grateful for Pedro's masterly exposition of who was doing what when. Ta!

"...Sir W. Pen do grow every day more and more regarded by the Duke,1 because of his service heretofore in the Dutch warr which I am confident is by some strong obligations he hath laid upon Mr. Coventry; for Mr. Coventry must needs know that he is a man of very mean parts, but only a bred seaman..."

Sam...Whatever his deficiencies as an office administrator, the man is capable and courageous and worthy of his position and you know it.

***"But bless God for our long lives and loves and health together, which the same God long continue, I wish, from my very heart!"

"is by some strong obligations he hath laid upon Mr. Coventry;... but only a bred seaman:"

The tailor's son forgets Penn's 'relevant experience;' the command of squadrons at the Dutch defeats of Kentish Knock (1652), Gabbard (1653), Scheveningen (1653) and the 'draw' at the Three Days Battle (Portland, 1653).

"and, above all, the inconvenience of having a great man, though never so seeming pious as my Lord Pembroke is. He is too great to be called to an account, and is abused by his servants, and yet obliged to defend them for his owne sake."

Philip Herbert, 5th Earl of Pembroke, was in charge of the voluntary collections for the Royal Fishery under both the Council of 1661 and the Corporation of 1664. In the event Pepys and George Duke, the Corporation's secretary, spared neither him nor his agent Thomas King in the report they presented on 25 October. King was the M.P. for Harwich, and the moving spirit in the Fishery business. Pembroke was reputedly a Quaker. (L&M footnote)

In Pepys' defense, Elizabeth yesterday declared today as Wash Day -- and we know what that means. If she wanted a romantic anniversary dinner, she would have organized things differently. I suspect she's still sulking about getting a pow in the kisser the other day for bad service at their dinner party.

And maybe Elizabeth was aware of his leaving her at the Church yesterday afternoon so he could trail after a pretty wench all over Tower Hill, so she had to take herself to Aunt and Uncle Wrights because there was no knowing when he would come home. Bess had a lot of reasons not to want a romantic anniversary. And Sam now has young Tom Edwards with him at all times, so stories may be coming up the back stairs ...? We shall see ...

"... he told me how Sir J. Minnes by the means of Sir R. Ford was the last night brought to his house and did discover the reason of his so long discontent with him, and now they are friends again, which I am sorry for, but he told it me so plainly that I see there is no thorough understanding between them, nor love, and so I hope there will be no great combination in any thing, nor do I see Sir J. Minnes very fond as he used to be."

So Sir Richard Ford and Sir John Mennes had a heart-to-heart last night for old times' sake, and ironed out a long-held discontent. Pepys thinks that although this rift is healed, neither of them is interested in being BFFs again, so he doesn't need to worry about his close working relationship with Ford.

I've poked around and have no idea what the long discontent was about. Anyone have any ideas?

An old misunderstanding between a supplier and a purchaser, but at last over!

Sir Richard Ford (the rest of the L&M Companion entry)

He was an overseer of Mennes' will. He himself died intestate and left no great fortune.

His house, a large one, taxed on 18 hearths, was destroyed in the Navy Office fire of 1673. Of his children, two sons, John and Samuel, and two daughters (Grace, wife of Peter Proby, a painter, and Mary, wife on Thomas Ducke) were alive when his widow Grace died (at Bexley, Kent) in 1681)https://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclopedia/1347/#c...

"Monday. At 7 o'clock at night Sir John Lawson in the Resolution and Capt. Berkeley in the Bristol came to an anchor with us and came aboard. ........"

Sir John Lawson returns from Tangier via Cadiz bringing important information about the movement of de Ruyter's fleet towards Guinea.Sandwich makes no mention of this in his journal. Did Sir John Lawson not share the information with him? This information undermines the very reason for Sandwich's fleet to be there; in order to blockade the channel against a Dutch fleet sailing to Guinea.There seems to be no recognition at this point that the Dutch have out-manoeuvred them and are about to re-take control of some Guinea locations.

"Monday. At 7 o'clock at night Sir John Lawson in the Resolution and Capt. Berkeley in the Bristol came to an anchor with us and came aboard. ........"

Capt. William Berkeley (1639-1666), third son of Sir Charles Berkeley of Bruton, 2nd Viscount Fitzharding in the Irish peerage, and younger brother of Charles, Earl of Falmouth. William shared with his brother the favor of James, Duke of York.

In 1662 he was Lieutenant of the "Swiftsure"; Captain of the "Bonaventure" in the same year; Captain of the "Bristol" in 1663; Captain of the "Resolution" in 1664.

William Berkeley was born in 1639, the younger son of Lord Fitzhardinge, treasurer of the household to Charles II.

He first went to sea in 1661 as lieutenant of the Swiftsure and obtained his first command, the Fourth Rate frigate Assistance, in 1662.

Despite Commander William Berkeley's youth and inexperience he commanded three more large warships before the outbreak of the second Anglo-Dutch War.

Most of Commander William Berkeley's service was in the Mediterranean, where he was promoted assiduously by Admiral Sir John Lawson, partly perhaps because of his merits, partly because Lawson wanted Berkeley’s Court connections to further of his own career (Berkeley’s elder brother, Charles Berkeley was a favorite of Charles II).

Commander William Berkeley courted, but never married, Sir John Lawson’s daughter.